What does this fan coil unit annual checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering shutdown and access, coil and pan, valves and piping, motor and controls, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The mechanical service tech on the annual, with the unit off and the space protected.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year in a shoulder season, when a room can be taken down long enough to open the cabinet and clean the coil and pan properly.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

12 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a fan coil unit annual inspection?

Coil hit with a shot of cleaner from the front and rinsed, while the fouling packed deep in the fin pack stays and the wet-coil pressure drop never recovers. A control valve seized part-open written up as a 'slow zone' when the real fix is a valve rebuild or actuator replacement. Pan cleaned but the drain pitch never checked, so it re-slimes and clogs again before the next quarterly.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Fan coil unit annual maintenance checklist

The annual fan coil unit service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against IMC, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Shutdown and access

Room outage agreed and finishes below the unit covered
Room taken down at the time agreed with the owner or occupant, furniture and flooring below the unit covered, occupant told how long the unit will be off.
No photo
Lock and tag applied and coil isolation valves closed
Disconnect locked and tagged, isolation valves closed for valve work; valves reopened and coil bled before the procedure's temporary release for stroke, amp and control checks, then re-locked.

Coil and pan

Coil deep-cleaned and fins combed
Coil cleaned through the full depth of the fin pack, drainage confirmed after rinse, bent fins combed, no leaks at the tube connections.
Drain pan removed, cleaned and re-pitched
Pan pulled and scrubbed to bare surface, biological growth removed, pan and line re-pitched to drain, trap rebuilt and primed.
Drain line flushed and flow proven at the termination
Line flushed from the pan outlet through to its termination or cleanout, water arriving freely with no slime plug, cleanout cap back on.
Cabinet lining and interior inspected
Cabinet insulation lining intact, not wet, torn or shedding into the airstream, no rust or growth on the cabinet floor, damaged lining noted for replacement.

Valves and piping

Control valves stroked and serviced
Two-way or three-way valves driven full range, actuators seating and opening, no weeping at packing, coil bled of trapped air.
Isolation valves and connections checked
Isolation and balancing valves operable, flex connectors and unions dry, insulation intact on chilled-water lines.
Valve package strainer cleaned where one is fitted
Strainer isolated, blown down or screen pulled and cleaned, debris and screen condition noted, valves reopened and the coil bled of air.
No photo
Balancing valve setting read against the balance report
Balancing or pressure-independent valve setting serving the coil read and matched to the balance report, memory stop intact, any change recorded.

Motor and controls

Motor and blower assembly serviced
Motor bearings checked, wheel cleaned and balanced, belt or direct drive inspected, amp draw within nameplate at each speed.
Thermostat and unit controls verified
Space thermostat calibrated, heating and cooling changeover proven, occupied and unoccupied modes working, no overrides left set.
Junction box terminations checked with the unit re-locked
Re-locked after the powered checks: terminations tight in the junction box, no heat discoloration, flex conduit secured, any motor capacitor not bulged or leaking.

Return to service

Discharge air temperature recorded in each mode after restart
Locks removed by the tech who hung them, unit restarted, discharge temperature read in heating and cooling and compared with last year's reading.
Annual service record filed against the unit tag
Record lists filter size, coil and pan condition, valve and speed settings and any parts replaced, deferred repairs listed for the owner.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Coil hit with a shot of cleaner from the front and rinsed, while the fouling packed deep in the fin pack stays and the wet-coil pressure drop never recovers.
A control valve seized part-open written up as a 'slow zone' when the real fix is a valve rebuild or actuator replacement.
Pan cleaned but the drain pitch never checked, so it re-slimes and clogs again before the next quarterly.

Verified against

IMC (mechanical code)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this fan coil unit annual checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering shutdown and access, coil and pan, valves and piping, motor and controls, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The mechanical service tech on the annual, with the unit off and the space protected.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year in a shoulder season, when a room can be taken down long enough to open the cabinet and clean the coil and pan properly.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 12 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 14 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a fan coil unit annual inspection?: Coil hit with a shot of cleaner from the front and rinsed, while the fouling packed deep in the fin pack stays and the wet-coil pressure drop never recovers. A control valve seized part-open written up as a 'slow zone' when the real fix is a valve rebuild or actuator replacement. Pan cleaned but the drain pitch never checked, so it re-slimes and clogs again before the next quarterly.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 14 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.